


Claudius('s name doesn't work as well as a title does it?)

by TheDarkDreams



Category: Hamlet - All Media Types, Hamlet - Shakespeare
Genre: Claudius justifying his actions to himself, Claudius' actions aren't justified, Claudius' perspective, Gen, Tags Are Fun, every villian sees themselves as heroes, murder mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-04 13:08:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17305181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDarkDreams/pseuds/TheDarkDreams
Summary: Ever wonder how Claudius sees himself? No? Well I did. This is what I came up with.





	Claudius('s name doesn't work as well as a title does it?)

**Author's Note:**

> My first posted work! Feel free to criticize to whatever extent you feel this work deserves.

Two months on and there’s been nothing. A murdered brother’s crown now on my head. His wife now in my sheets and God's response is silence! It seems I caught The wrath of divine justice during a time of truancy, for which I am grateful. It is quite tempting of my heart to feel that these events are in epilogue but my mind points to the young Hamlet to argue the otherwise. For the clouds of sorrow have not stopped raining on him in months. One can only guess what fruits of the spirit a sorrowed rain will grow for Hamlet. 

Hamlet… the name of the man I killed still wonders this castle. No wonder these events aren’t in epilogue. After all that is the point of most sons, to keep their fathers legacy after death. Such is man’s most successful attempt at immortality. To have some physical form of themselves remain while their spirit goes to where it is to go to.

I must admit, even at the forefront of my own actions, I for a time still pondered. To be within my brothers place has been a frequent recurring fantasy since youth. For decades I stood comfortably on the precipice between action and inaction. Sometimes the amount of effort put into inaction is not given it’s due credit. Such a hard rope to balance and journey on it is. Then in a moment slipped and every action to act I acted at once. Only recently have I discovered what gave me the push I needed off of that rope of indecision. It was a simple fleeting thought. It came from nothing and intended to go nowhere. I would have been content to stay on the precipice forever. the thought struck me like lightning. Broke the ground from beneath my feet and sent me plummeting into the valley of decisiveness. This thought didn't inspire me to kill my blood out of simple petty jealous though. My reasoning is easily explained: 

The one thing I was sure of the nature of my life's narrative structure was my brothers role as the main character in it. He was the first-born prince and then the king. It wouldn’t make sense for him to fill any other role in life but the role of protagonist. However, what my thought was was that my brother’s life had never seen a day in which there were a flavor other then overflowing sweetness. While such a continuously satisfying life may be nice to fantasy about, it would make a poor story if the protagonist never struggled. In the light of that analogy my actions may even seem noble. I fought hard for this position for the sake of the story as well as my own satisfaction while my brother was gifted the crown upon him after achieving the smallest of achievements for any man, being present for one's own birth! Divine right of lordship wasn’t handed to me on a silver planter like it was to him. Yes, I think I liked that analogy; even if it suggests that Polonius is rubbing off on me. Now that is a phrase I can’t stand behind as the image it inspires is quite sickly.

But there’s an idea. If one is survived by their offspring as I have mentioned, than perhaps by killing my brother the role of the main character wasn’t transferred to me, but to my nephew. I will have to keep an eye on him, maybe two for good measurement. I now have the weary feeling that my brother’s death isn’t an epilogue at all, but rather a prologue. If that theory were true it would mean the climax of our lives narrative is still yet to come. I suppose living through my future will tell me how this ends up; so I should probably get on with it. I shall see. Although considering my royal position perhaps I should say ‘we shall see’ instead? Yes. We shall see.


End file.
